Royal Guilds
Royal Guilds Each nation, by the Unification Act is allowed to maintain an international guild based upon their local pantheon. These guilds are by no means exclusive, and have no monopoly rights, however, no country is allowed to restrict it's borders to guild members or products However, not all of these guilds have international interests, and an guild house outside of the country or origin is extremely rare, except in the cases of the Council of Mages, the Road Masons Guild and the Wayfarers. Albattiia: the Azure Dawn Barbarian Clan Main article:Albatiia: Azure Dawn Barbarian Clan This is the only truly organized group of barbarians in the whole of the cradle, it exists exclusively as a unit of the Bectin military, It actively seeks out and trains barbarians in other countries and recruits them under Bectin Rule. Bectin: Road Masons Guild, Royal Order of Rangers Main article:Bectin: Road Masons Guild, Royal Order of Rangers The Roads of Bectin are considered to be the best and strangely free of monsters and horrors. Superstition holds that this is because of the blessings that each road brick receives before being planted, and that each brick bears on its underside the mark of The Bectonian God Phiroup. It is said that because each road bears upon it a thousand holy symbols, no monster dares tread near it. However, all road bricks made in a similar fashion by different groups have not shared this blessing. As such, roads maintained by this group are a valuable resource. The Royal Order of Rangers, more commonly known as the King's Rangers is an organization dedicated to the maintenance of the empire and her lands. They mostly stay to the Western Continent as the Imperial Scouts of Norswenark fulfill the same role as they do in the Eastern Continent. Crangnia: Council of Mages, Order of War Wizards Main article Crangnia: Council of Mages, Order of War Wizards The Council of mages has an exceptional amount of power throughout the entire. All mages must be registered by law, and all magic items marked and cataloged. This guild controls the production of all magic items, and severely limits the usage of Necromancy and intelligent items. They also forbid all nobility from having Magicians in their courts, and any magical "advisers" provided by the guild are as much spies as they are scholars. The Order of War Wizards is a sub-guild of the Council of Mages that trains a special type of wizard, the warmage. These warmages are sent all over the empire to be used in the military and armies throughout the cradle. Deinksvund: The Sable Sabers Main article: Deinksvund: Sable Sabers The Hunters of the Dead, this elite band of warriors patrols the northern borders, the forests, and the anceint crypts in search of any of the artificial or hostile undead created by the scourge. This is what they do, they pledge their lives to ridding the world of all unnatural undead. Daelought: The Hammers Main article Daelought: The Hammers Norswenark is the only member of the empire which willingly joined after the Empire Act even though it was not a member of the empire previously. As such, The Hammers don't really have a place in the organization of the empire. The hammers, are at best, a policing force on the Craedle sea, and at worst, are drunken barbarians. Ether way, their ships are allowed at any port for free, so long as they do not float cargo vessels. Eirebenacht: The Order of the Bow Main article Eirebenacht: Order of the Bow Originally a sub-guild of the Royal Order of Rangers, the Order of the Bow has grown to become a training ground for archers throughout the empire. The greatest bowmen and most skilled archers in the empire at least studied the teachings of the Order if not a member of the Order itself. E'Trina: Order of the Paladin Main article E'Trina: Order of the Paladin Patrons of the Invarican Radiant Goddess, all of the Honor, Tyranny, and Justice Paladins of the cradle are part of this organization, for only the Invarican has the divine power to craft a Paladin, and all gods must petition her to create one of their own followers. While the petitioning god is required to maintain the Paladins divine powers, it is the Invarican who acts as the conduit. At least such is the lore of The Order of the Paladin. If any nation wishes to train their soldiers in it's art, they must be sent to the Colligite ci Gurelent c'E'Trina. And thus controls access to the organization. Hirvatyknia: The Ermine Carnival, The Purple Dragons Main article Hirvatyknia: Ermine Carnival, Purple Dragons This carnival is not merely a traveling circus of mimes, jesters, exotic beasts and a host of illusions, but it is an organization which spans the whole empire. The carnival is responsible for the edict of Bards not subject to the rule of the Council of Mages, and is actually the largest formal organization of the class in the world. Far from petty performers and bumbling clowns. The organization consist of individuals dedicated to art, and ensures that each of it's members is extremely well versed in many forms of entertainment. As such, most major nobles will have a bard from the carnival in their court. Which has made the carnival in a very powerful organization. The Harlequin are a subset of this organization. They are professional thieves for hire, spies, saboteurs. Usually nobles will hire an Ermine simply to gain his own personal Harlequin spy under his payroll. That is not to say that all Ermines are harlequins, but all harlequins are Ermines.They are infiltrators trained to be charismatic, deceptive, and stealthy. The Purple Dragons are an order of knights dedicated to the protection of Hirvatyknian boarders. The knights have a reputation for skill, loyalty, and heroism. These riders are known for their skill of tongue as much as they are for their combat prowess and ability to ride. Lo Biele: The Keepers of the Bielian Bridge, Order of Illumination Main article Lo Biele: Keepers of the Bielian Bridge, Order of Illumination The Keepers of the bridge are far from an international organization. They have one goal, Protect the Bridge of Ages, which is the greatest source of income for the country. With the bridge being the only link between the east and west continents, it is heavily taxed, and heavily used, especially with the increase of pirate attacks in the Cradle sea The Order of Illumination is a organization dedicated to rooting out evil throughout the empire. They began as a policing force for Lo Biele after the rivalries between the Eastern and Western continents threatened to tear apart the whole empire, they have now become a cradle wide force. Matinska: The Alchemists guild (A Sub-Guild of the Council of Mages) Main article Matinska: Alchemists guild The alchemists guild is a sub-guild of the mages guild, which specializes in transmutation, and alchemical combinations in hopes of creating substances which mimic magical effects, but are easily used and much more versatile. The guild has no houses outside of Matinska, and those it does have are more like museums and schools, where substances like alchemists fire is created. Their guild rights allow for non restricted sales in any city or port, which means that their products are readily available. Norswenark: The Imperial Scouts Main article Norswenark: The Imperial Scouts In Norswenark one can find the Barony of Erfurt where the Imperial Collage of Scouts is found. It here that the legendary Imperial Scouts are trained and used in most all the militarys of the empire, but are most well known for their work with the vast armies of Deinksvund. There is much rivalry between the Imperial Scouts and the King's Rangers of Bectin. Porta: The Wayfarers, Imperial Naval Collage Main article Porta: Wayfarers, Imperial Naval Collage Just as Bectin has a strong control over land based trade, so does the wayfarers guild have a strong control over sea travel. This control is based on the fact that wayfarers are legally entitled to construct their own ports in every nation, and that the organization is run by Clerics of Tentstrus, the god of Wind, ensures that the ships are often treated to fair winds and calm seas. Originally created in Illios donnix, the Imperial Naval Collage was moved to Porta when land on the island city was running short. The old facility was converted for use as primary headquarters for the Imperial Navy and Bay Commission once the collage was moved to Porta. It is here that the naval men of the empire are trained and crews of new ships are prepared. Shavizunark: The Artificers guild (A partner to the Council of Mages) Main article Shavizunark: Artificers guild The artificers guild is essentially a company of the most highly skilled craftsmen in all of the cradle, with a strong majority of them trained in guild houses in Shavizunark. They are the only guild in the whole of the cradle which has a monopoly, Guild members must be used in the construction of all public works, this is balanced by the fact that the Artificers are not allowed to place constant taxes upon their buildings, so that local governments can control taxes upon their bridges. A small host of dwarven trained smiths have been reported to use a magic which is neither divine nor arcane, these artificers must abide by the laws set forth by the Council of Mages but are not required to join the Collage of Magic. Cradle Empire The World of Tellic